What is suitable for these teenagers? If treating them with luxury doesn’t work, why not give them the complete opposite and give them the taste of their own medicine. Take away the free holidays, the trips around the island and give them what they ought to have which is something that they know is wrong. These wrongdoers should be punished like adults are punished. They should be sent to a proper detention camp or maybe directly to prison. This will show them that crime doesn’t pay and being surrounded by many other criminals will hopefully shock them not to be dire again. This will result in making the offenders look at crime from a different perception. They will know what to expect as what is the true price of committing crime.
From the Daily Mail extract, chief executive of the Divert Trust Angela Slaven insists "They will have to study at schools, talking to people and experiencing how children in Jamaica learn.” She insists that this is not a vacation but it’s certainly not a punishment either. Following her comment, she sounds like she is trying to say that all of the Jamaican children are young antisocial children as these disruptive teenagers are going to be treated the way they are. Again, how is it not a holiday if they get everything that is included in a holiday package?
The costs of these holidays are completely ridiculous. These, so to say highly beneficial holidays cost in the region of £5000 each and have not proven effective in cutting down teenage crime. It is outrageous because in effect of this, well behaved teenagers get totally baffled. Well behaved teenagers know the difference between right and wrong and take the fact that these Juvenile delinquents get a free holiday as an insult to their intelligence. It is not fair to send misbehaved children to sunny Jamaica whilst well behaved teenagers have to stay in rainy Britain. These trusts should read the book from the back and Reward well behaved children, this might encourage badly behaved teenagers to end the antisocial behaviour and start behaving. It works both ways but why reward the bad who don’t deserve the holiday if, it would probably be as effective to reward the good.
The holidays, costing £5000 do not have any evidence of them going to work in the long run. Whereas they might change the view of some teenagers, you cannot change everyone's state of mind. Instead of sending these delinquents on holiday, only the future offenders who are willing to change should get the privilege of being sent on these holidays. The others will then find out the hard way; when they’ve grown-up and maybe sent to prison for committing a crime, a crime they worked their way up to.
The PAYES scheme set up in Merseyside deal with teenage crime in a different way, and in my opinion they deal with it more suitably. Instead of the trust picking the thugs, residents and teachers nominated the delinquents. Residents agreed with the scheme because in favour of the scheme, the rate of vandalism has decreased. Still, only misbehaved teenagers get to go on the scheme. Well behaved teenagers have to stay at home and enjoy the facilities they have.
The PAYES scheme might work for some teenagers but might not suit everyone. Some teenagers might like Kayaking, Abseiling and Mountain Climbing but others might not. The PAYES scheme should offer more activities that would appeal to both sexes. A wider choice of activities could help cut the rate of vandalism. The scheme could also be available for well behaved teenagers. The juvenile delinquents have to pay £15.00 for the holiday and therefore well behaved teenagers could pay to go. This will cut down on crime and reduce the amount of complaints the scheme gets for not allowing well behaved teenagers on these holidays.
What sorts of punishments are necessary? Currently, misbehaved children get no more than a caution and sent home left with parents to deal with them. This could be the root of the problem. Whereas some parents will discipline their children, some parents will let them re-offend with no care in the world. Therefore if punishing the teenagers doesn't work, their parents should be punished because of them. If they cannot stop the anti social behaviour for themselves, they might do so for their parents. Seeing is believing and seeing their mother or father being sent to prison because of them might make them see in a different way, a way that will scare them.
When trying to deal with teenage crime, we must ask why? Recent polls show that teenagers are offending because they want to be accepted; usually as a part of a gang or small group. They commit crime as a dare or as respect from others who they admire. Documentaries on television show the reality of crime. Teenagers offending for no apparent reason and will flip if anything does not go the way they want. This could be boredom and therefore more facilities should be available for them but if more was available then they might damage property around that area. Many homeowners would protest against having the centre near their home.
I do believe that all teenagers should be treated evenly. If juvenile teenagers get to go on holiday, then they must not be allowed to go for free. If well behaved teenagers must pay, then so be it for these offenders. I do not agree with the fact that so much money should be spent on holidays for delinquents and that a different method should be considered to deal with teenage crime. Teenagers should not be offered a holiday and more of the vacation money should go to the people who want it; the police because with a loophole in the law, officers could lock up teenager under the age of eighteen.
The law is therefore the wall between crime and how to cut it down. With child abuse increasingly being watched over it becomes harder for police officers and adults to deal with teenagers. In theory they have the right to thump adults but if an adult thumped them, it would be a completely different matter. Therefore, in favour of the police, they should receive the right to use their physical strength to prevent teenage tearaways.
